After the vote in the House of Representatives to slash the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, I wrote a column against cutting food stamps. This column generated more than 5,200 online comments and hundreds of e-mails.

Comments reflected, not surprisingly, the tone and tenor of the political debate: a lot of partisan passion, some mutual understanding, animosity based on stereotypes and a lot of misinformation.

I would like to address some of the typical concerns that were expressed.

For example, "Willis CurryFans" wrote, "These wealthy Republicans spend a lot of time RUNNING from the typical black person this affects. If they came and visited some of these neighborhoods, they would see folks that they KNOW they won't give a job to."

But who are the people using food stamps? They're us.

The Census Bureau, which gathers statistics house by house, reports that Americans on food stamps are 49% white, 26% African-American and 20% Hispanic. The Pew Research Center, a nonprofit polling firm, found in a July survey that self-identified liberals, moderates and conservatives who receive food stamps are in a statistical tie.

A lot of people who commented on the column wanted to regulate what foodstuffs program participants can buy -- often not realizing that alcohol and prepared foods are banned. And many respondents bashed food stamp recipients, declaring they should "get a job," "stop having kids on my dime" or giving a variation on such cliches....

Americans on food stamps are 49% white, 26% African-American and 20% Hispanic. Interestingly misleading numbers. What percentage of the total population is each group? Oh never mind. I forgot the article is aimed at democrats and they don’t understand math anyway.

self-identified liberals, moderates and conservatives who receive food stamps are in a statistical tie.

It's not about being on food stamps, it's about staying on them well past the point that a person/family needs the help. That's when they become a problem for everyone else--when they become dependent by choice b/c it's just easier that way.

She also claims that having children that their parents can’t afford doesn’t drive food stamp use, then a few paragraphs down says that represents 72% of food stamp use.

As to them being “us”, we know that twice as many Americans identify themselves as conservatives, rather than liberals, but voting outcomes don’t reflect that—and the conservative identity of those on food stamps is half that ratio of Americans overall anyway.

Then that claim about that more were added to the rolls under Bush than Obama? Look at the charts on the wikipedia page: From 2008 to 2012, the number getting food stamps increased from 28 million to 46 Bush, and also far more than the reported rise of unemployment, including families for the increase in the unemployed—to counter two of her misstatements at once.

Oh, and for those who complain about it funding junk food? She says that alcohol and prepared foods are banned, but it is actually only hot prepared foods (which don’t tend to be junk food, but are more expensive than friggin’ fixing a meal yourself) that are banned. She even later suggests paying “bonuses” for those who purchase healthy foods with their food stamps. She also suggests increasing the minimum wage, which would, of course, increase numbers of the unemployed to go on the SNAP rolls.

She also tries to refute a comment that recipients make sure not to make enough money to get kicked off the program by saying the unemployed childless (so, again, you do need children you can’t afford to access the program!) can only get limited benefits without entering a job training program.

She claims that Obama encouraged more work requirements, but the truth is that he removed work requirements while somehow ‘encouraging’ them.

She then moves on to the old canard that food stamp benefits are meager, at an average of $133 per person a month. But that’s not low for someone really watching costs, half of the beneficiaries are either small children or those getting fed in school, the program by name is just supposed to be “Supplemental”—and of course that average includes people making enough money to get less than the regular maximum benefit.

All told, I don’t think I can find a single point in this entire piece that isn’t false or so misleading as to be false. Brazile is actually a vice chairwoman of the DNC, which a lot of people don’t realize, and this propaganda may well be a product of the DNC. But it is so dishonest that it could be used as an instructional example in how much misinformation gets generated by our so-called ‘news’ organizations.

She then moves on to the old canard that food stamp benefits are meager, at an average of $133 per person a month. But thats not low for someone really watching costs, half of the beneficiaries are either small children or those getting fed in school, the program by name is just supposed to be Supplementaland of course that average includes people making enough money to get less than the regular maximum benefit.

And food stamps (or EBT cards) or only one of the half dozen taxpayer-funded ways for people to get food. I haven't seen many underweight people on them.

And the cash part of EBT is even accepted for cigarettes in some places. So we pay for their nicotine habit, and the healthcare to treat the ensuing problems, while being penalised yet more money if we smoke. Unreal.

For some, like me, it’s more about the forced ‘charity’ at the point of a gun. 2nd is the abuse and generational misuse; and since gov’t doesn’t care about fraud (it’s not their $$), it makes the 1st point all that more contemptible.

18
posted on 10/03/2013 8:29:55 AM PDT
by i_robot73
(Give me one example and I will show where gov't is the root of all problems.)

You also forget the charges at the local strip club and/or casino/track/etc.; which, IIRC, Florida is just NOW talking about cracking down upon (maybe, one day, they’ll get around to the actual fraud and start tossing some in JAIL).

Let’s not get into the EBT for $$ ‘exchanges’ that frequently go on...

20
posted on 10/03/2013 8:34:52 AM PDT
by i_robot73
(Give me one example and I will show where gov't is the root of all problems.)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.